Balance: Nightfall
by knyghtstar
Summary: Sora always does get into trouble at least he managed six months though. Ghost made a promise though and she'll be there to watch over the boy who has become the little brother to the Keeper of Darkness. The web that surrounds them only time will tell if they manage to get out. Sequel to Balance: Darkness and Light
1. To Begin a New Adventure

**Welcome to Balance: Nightfall. We've entered the world of KH3D and it'll be fun. Ghost is going to be the main feature for this one, so sorry to all of you Twilight fans you'll see her but most likely not until we get closer to the end. To all of my readers that have followed me from B:DL you guys are wonderful. To all of the new readers you should probably go to my profile and actual read Balance: Darkness and Light. Otherwise you might be a bit confused. Anyways on to the good stuff. **

**I don't own KH3D in any sense. I only own Ghost and Twi.**

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**Chapter 1: To Begin a New Adventure**

Coffee, how had I ever survived before without it?

I leaned back against the counter with a sigh, mug in hand, and staring out the window that overlooked Radiant Garden. Axel and I had bought a house, it wasn't like between the two of us we didn't have enough money, and started living together. We had separate rooms of course because that would have been far too fast of a move in our still rather new relationship. It was a comfortable life though and we had quickly fallen into a semblance of a routine. Axel had even gotten a job with the Restoration Committee and helped out where he could while I took on Hunts for any monsters that were causing problems. Let's just say that Radiant Garden was a lot bigger than any of the games had shown. I had had things explained about how I had gotten here and while it had caused me to be extremely…irritable, it had come with its own upside.

Creepy Disembodied Voice had sent a gift, which had included Birth By Sleep and Re: Coded, very helpful to know the back-story and it did explain some things. It also gave me ample ability to tease Axel. He had been absolutely _adorable_ as a child.

I blinked and shook off the rambling thoughts; those seem to happen more in the morning and smiled quietly as the red head himself walked into the room. The tattoos on his face were fading, slowly but surely, and I wasn't entirely sure what that meant but I wasn't too concerned. He felt balanced so I highly doubted he would be going poof on me anytime soon. As usual in the morning we were silent, neither of us were really morning people despite being early-risers by force of habit. He pressed an affectionate kiss to my cheek, grabbed the mug of coffee I had prepared for him, and headed out to work.

I had the day off, no hunts, no meetings, nothing but glorious time to laze as I had just finished a job late last night, not even getting home until sometime early in the morning. A finger tapped against the mug in my hand, I had been getting restless lately though. Ever since I had finished BBS my mind had been pouring over the details that I had noticed, my mind fixating on certain aspects…little details that I had never really noticed before. I need to go talk to Merlin; there had been something beyond anything else that I had noticed in the series. I finished off my coffee and placed the mug in the sink, I would wash it later. A frown played along my lips as I grabbed my coat, black leather with white stripes wrapped around the elbows and shoulders, throwing it on over the black tank top as I headed to the door. Locking it behind me I contemplated whether or not Merlin would be busy arguing with Cid or if he would actually be working for once. Either way I would still find him at the house that he had occupied ever since I had been there. Past the marketplace on the way to the Castle, maybe he would know the answer to my question or at the very least where to start looking for the answers.

* * *

"I'm telling you Merlin, there's something weird about it and all I'm asking you is to take a look. I mean it's not exactly a common letter or anything so for there to be a boatload of 'X's everywhere you look it has to mean something."

"My dear I'm sure it doesn't mean anything…" assured the wizard as he bustled about his home, throwing the obligatory and customary scowl at Cid who was still working at the large computer and pretending to not be blatantly eavesdropping on everything that was being said. "It could just be a fashion statement by young people these days." I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me Merlin, it's not a fashion statement to mix up the letters of your name and then throw in an 'X' just for the hell of it, especially when it's a bad guy doing the naming. I mean, hell, there's a reason the saying is 'X marks the spot'." Noting that the wizard still seemed reluctant I sighed through the nose and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I loved the dear wizard and would often take hunts for him when he needed certain materials for his work but sometimes he could be exasperatingly obtuse. There was only one way to deal with a wizard when they were acting like this. "Merlin, if you don't want to do the research that's fine. I'll just go and ask Yen Sid, what's going on. "The bearded wizard in blue drew himself up, even as Cid snorted looking as innocent as possible when Merlin shot a glare his way, and huffed.

"Fine, I shall look into your concern but I doubt it will come of anything." Blue eyes gleamed with triumph and my smirk took a decidedly smug tilt as I got what I wanted. The old man pouted playfully, knowing he had just been played but couldn't really complain about it. Wizards and their pride, sometimes it made things too easy. It was either their pride or curiosity that would be their downfall and for Merlin, well let's just say he really hated being upstaged by Yen Sid sometimes. Speaking of Yen Sid… a letter formed out of sparkling golden motes of light, Yen Sid's seal easily spotted. I snagged the letter out of mid-air before it could fall to the ground, a frown marring my face. The old man wouldn't be contacting me out of the blue like this if it wasn't important. My eyebrows furrowed slightly as I read through it. It was a summons. He wanted me at his tower as soon as possible and…I heaved a sigh, I was not at all surprised that it had something to do with Sora. Well, the boy had lasted six months without any trouble. I rolled up the letter and tucked it into a pocket before turning to Yuffie who was currently bugging Cid.

"Hey, Yuf. Where'd Leon send Axel today?" The hyperactive ninja, she had gotten a better handle on her energy too from the stories that Cid told, grinned and jerked her thumb towards the Castle.

"He finally got a chance to get into the computer room, why?"

"I got a summons from Yen Sid. I need to head to Twilight Town. You let him know when he stops in?" I explained, holding up the letter. I was also going to make a quick stop to the World that Never Was, I usually made my way there every once in a while to check up on the headstones to make sure that our remaining Nobodies were still alive.

It would be a five minute trip, if that, so I doubted it would mean anything detrimental to Sora. The boy was tough; he had lasted through a lot of things. The ninja gave an easy nod. She could be forgetful about a lot of things but the exuberant ninja was a very reliable messenger.

"Sure thing! Not a problem." I smirked and waved over my shoulder as I head out the door, after all I had to go back to my house and load out for a long term mission. You never really knew what sort of trouble you were going to get into with Sora.

Combat boots replaced the gym shoes I had been wearing, a combat knife secured in a boot hilt. Dark brown cargo pants replaced the jeans and the large pockets, now that I had finally figured out hyperspace, were filled with any of the supplies that I would need. The tank I was wearing was still black but it was made of a heavier material that would help deflect or weather any attacks that came my way. There was, of course, another two knife holsters on either of my forearm with the silver and red cuff carefully worked into the right hand one so it wouldn't get in the way. The cuff had changed in the past couple of days as if it knew that trouble would be occurring soon, the silver darkened and the red that had been a bright crimson, turned dark to the color of freshly spilt blood. It was something I had noticed, as if in reflection of my powers I had turned darker as well my hair now a light ashy brown instead of the sandy blond it once had been. I threw my hair into a loose ponytail; a few strands hanging around my face, and turned on my heel grabbing my coat and putting it on, shaking my arms to make sure the sleeves wouldn't get caught on the knives.

I scribbled a hasty note explaining the situation to Axel and left it on the counter just in case he came home instead of heading back to the Committee headquarters at the end of the day. Letting out a slow breath it was the work of a moment to slip into the darkness once again, connecting to the world that I wanted and stepping into the stark white and grey halls of the Castle that Never Was. It was a familiar room that I had landed in.

The Proof of Existence.

My eyes scanned the room, the stones unlit and dull. A muscle in my jaw twitched. _All_ of the stones were unlit. Xigbar had died; I wasn't all that surprised by that so it came off as a dull shock but for Axel and Demyx's stones to be unlit. Something had happened, either since regaining their heart or whatever it was that we had done to them made it so that they didn't register with the stones any more or in the past two hours or so that I hadn't seen Axel he had gotten himself killed. If the fire elemental managed to get himself killed in the interim of time that I had last seen him, I would somehow manage to resurrect him and kill him myself. Still…there was nothing I could do about it. I had put off meeting with Yen Sid as long as I was going to risk it, especially if Sora was on the line. I would trust Axel to be alright and Twilight would watch over Demyx. Glancing back at the stones with narrowed eyes I slid back into the darkness.

It was easier now than it had been before when I had travelled with Sora. I had thought that to travel between the worlds I would have to create a portal and traverse the halls every time and I did if I wanted to drag another along with me. When it was just me though, it was far easier. Darkness was a part of life, there would always be shadows no matter where you went and for me it was simply a matter of feeling out those shadows. So even if the roads between worlds were closed I would always be able to travel between them. It was a humbling experience and at first completely disorienting to be able to reach out and feel a connection with hundreds of worlds. I would never truly be alone ever again because all I would have to ever do was reach and there would always be something or someone there. It had taken me a little while to figure out how to traverse these pathways, even longer to aim correctly so I didn't step out over a cliff, and even longer so that I wouldn't stumble like an idiot every time I exited but it had been well worth it. I wasn't confident enough with the skill to be able to work it into my combat style but someday maybe.

* * *

I pinched the bridge of my nose in a vain attempt to stave off the frustration that was building up. "So let me get this straight, you sent the idiots out on this exam to become Masters of the Keyblade and specifically to these 'Sleeping Worlds' so that they could fix them. These worlds are also supposed to be closed off to all outsiders but somehow Ursula managed to break in and attack the boys, utterly destroying any of the protections you had placed around them. Now damn near anyone can break in and you think that people are going to take advantage of this to attack the boys or use them for nefarious purposes. And you want me to search all of these worlds and find Sora so that I can watch over him but I can't interfere with the exam. Have I got that summed up right?" Yen Sid deftly ignored the irritation that hedged into disrespect, he could understand the frustration when it came to those two and if it hadn't been for the obvious fondness in which I had referred to them he would have said something about me insulting them.

"That is an accurate, if crude, summation of the situation." stated the wizard, an air of regality about him that usually demanded respect. I wasn't in the mood to acquiesce to anyone's silent demands though even as I huffed a wry laugh. Those two could never stay out of trouble.

"You know there are two of them and knowing them they had to have been split apart. I can't watch over them both at the same time. I'm good but even I can't be in two places at once." Yen Sid nodded slowly, he did a great many things slowly.

"I shall be summoning Cydney here soon and briefing her on the situation."

_'Don't know why you didn't just do so all at once.'_ I thought while resisting the urge to roll my eyes even as he continued.

"I shall send her to guard Riku, while leaving Sora in your capable hands." I nodded.

"Got it. Overview of the enemies we'll be facing?" The wizard waved a hand over his desk and with a small flash of light brought the holograms forth. The creatures there were rather adorable; one was so adorable it looked like it would puke rainbows and sunshine. I crouched down before the wizard's desk to get a better view.

"These are called Dream Eaters; they are the darkness of the worlds that have not been connected by the Heartless or Nobodies." I glanced up abruptly, my eyes narrowed.

"No Heartless and Nobodies?" Yen Sid shook his head.

"No. The Nightmares…" he waved a hand to the darker one on the left, "eat dreams and plant nightmares. While the Spirits…" he waved a hand at the rainbows and sunshine one, "…eat nightmares." I took a good look memorizing the different sigil each one bore. The Nightmare's sort of reminded me of the Heartless if I was honest about it but still.

"Ascetically I think I prefer the Nightmare." I glanced up and suppressed a smirk at the rather annoyed look Yen Sid was subtly shooting at me, after all it would be beneath him to glare at anyone other than his former apprentice, glower at most. Thinking of sigils though, I sobered and drew up to my full height, a slight frown marring my face. Noting the change in demeanor the old man dropped the glower and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "I've already got Merlin looking into this for me but an extra pair of eyes would help, plus you've probably got access to resources he doesn't. Could you look into any sigils or symbols or marks that look like an 'X' 'cause there have been a hell of a lot of 'X's lately and it keeps showing up specifically on the bad guys or if someone is turned slash possessed." Yen Sid nodded, my shoulders relaxing slightly released from the tension that had built up there. "Thanks."

"If I find anything I shall contact you." The 'somehow' went unsaid. Most likely once I headed out to the Sleeping Realms I would be cut off from any sort of contact. I huffed a sigh; at least they would be aware of anything connected to those 'X's in the meantime I should probably go. I should go…that's a very Shepard thing to say.

"Any suggestions on where I should look first or should I just guess?" That got a bit of a smile out of the dower man as he folded his hands on his lap.

"Traverse Town would be a good starting point. Can you find the location for such a place?" My eyes glazed over slightly as I _reached_ for the familiar, in mind, town. Hm, feels odd. Almost like there was two of it. Well, it was a good enough starting point, if I was lucky I would end up on the side that Sora was on and not Riku. Don't get me wrong I like the boy but Riku was far more able to look after himself for longer periods of time. Sora was a capable fighter but his judgment needed a bit of work still which is where I came in. I would be the cynic to Sora's optimism and Twilight would be the optimist to Riku's cynicism. Besides I could just imagine what travelling with Riku would be like for someone like me. Long periods of silence would not surprise me in the least. Twilight would be a better companion for the silver haired boy.

"Yeah, I've got it. I'll see you around Yen Sid." I turned around sending a wave over my shoulder even as the shadows moved up to claim me, dragging me to the next world. I always knew that things would be interesting after meeting Sora and maybe a new adventure was exactly what I needed.

After all I had been feeling restless lately.


	2. Ringing of the Bells

Hello, my peoples! New and Old. So far the reception has been good and that pleases me. There were some parts of this chapter that were like pulling teeth and I'm re-solidifying everyone's character interaction especially with my writing style having changed since B:DL. I've also been re-doing my timeline for this series so things'll be interesting. It'll all work out in the end, I just need to hammer out the details again. Go read the nearly 10,000 word chapter. Go! ^_^

Disclaimer: I own Ghost that's is all.

Shout outs: MizuKitsune10, AnimeFreakazoidXD, OrionRedde, The Three Kings, Vanessa Rowes, 4elementsfan4621, Ghost 5926, DarknessPwnsLight, mauralucky7, FallenAngel10086, FlyingKey123, Rambonata, kingdomdisney, SpringBorn, obsessed-beyond-reason2001, Fionn Rose, sora0995, RavenHeartSienna, MelodiousFenrir007, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker, and numa numa waffless

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** Chapter 2: Ringing of the Bells**

Ah, Traverse Town. Land of Nostalgia. I hadn't actually set foot there but I had certainly spent enough time in the quaint place while playing the original Kingdom Hearts. It was a dark place but it felt welcoming and I could practically imagine how the place would look with people bustling about the square. I was in the First District, pretty easy to tell actually seeing as I was standing right next to the café where you had to light the candles in a certain amount of time to get the damn trinity or the chest. I don't even remember what I was supposed to be getting all I remember was that there was much frustration involved. I hated that mini-game it was annoying. Didn't matter either way, though it was tempting to blow up some of those candles just to be vindictive, I had to find my boys.

That was easier said than done.

My eye twitched slightly as I spotted a very familiar light beaming off into the sky. I had only travelled with Sora for nearly a year I could recognize a Keyblade locking a World Keyhole with the best of them and they were too far away for me to run to them. By the time I had made it through the Districts and the enemies they would be long gone. I clucked my tongue and hoped that I would be able to follow them as I sent a flicker of power to attach itself to whoever was on this side of the divide in this world. I could always find my spots when I wanted to. "Oh, you're new around here." I glanced over my shoulder, hand twitching to release a weapon but the boy didn't sound like a threat. Arrogant, yes. But a threat? No not yet anyways. Joshua, he was as recognizable as ever, though I wouldn't have thought he'd be here in Traverse. I wonder what happened to his Shibuya. I turned around and crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned my weight back slightly so I could stare up at him.

"Something I can help you with?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The boy propped his chin in the palm of his hand as he sat on the railing of the balcony above me, curiosity obvious in his eyes.

"No. Though I do wonder who you are exactly. I certainly didn't dream you up." A smirk flickered over my lips for a brief moment before I shrugged.

"I'm just lookin' for someone."

"And from your rather disgruntled look I would guess that they just left." I twitched at the sheer amount of smugness I could hear in his voice but I couldn't deny the fact that he was right. My eyes narrowed, I was getting a bit of feedback from my spot. Were those bells?

"Mind answering a question for me." I turned my attention back to the boy…oh he had wings you would think I would have noticed that sooner. I gave a mental shrug, there were kids out there throwing around magic and saving worlds, why couldn't someone have wings. Hell, Sephiroth had a wing. "Whose side was I on? Riku or Sora's?" The grin that spread across my face at his answer was just a tad bit feral, my luck had held out.

"Sora's."

* * *

I stepped out of the shadows that had clung to me into the streets of…Paris? Yes, this was definitely Paris and old Paris at that. I could see Notre Dame but no Eiffel Tower. Blue eyes narrowed in thought as my mind skipped over all the Disney movies I could remember and then my face met my palm. God, I hated Frollo…and the fact that they hadn't invented indoor plumbing yet. Ugh, the smell was awful. Don't get me wrong I loved History but being lost in a medieval city _in_ the medieval ages didn't exactly appeal to me.

Still if you ever wanted to find trouble, follow the crowd. I stepped into the hustle and bustle of the city ignoring the rather odd looks I was getting but really, _I_ was the one getting odd looks? This was the Festival of Fools! It was when we reached the plaza before Notre Dame that I made my way into an alley and up towards the roofs for a better view. No one ever looks up. I had learned that in my world and it had stayed the same in Twilight Town so I highly doubted that Paris, France would be any different. The Festival of Fools, it was quite the sight. The streets were filled with people laughing and cheering, bright colors, and costumes of every kind.

Was that Quasimodo on a giant powder blue and pink elephant?

And there was Sora, running into the situation with no knowledge of his surroundings. I heaved a sigh. It was nice to know some things would never change. Just what the hell were those things following him though? I settled myself on the roof of the building to watch and see just how much my kid brother had improved. As was typical of Sora as soon as something went wrong he put himself in front of the one he needed to protect even as the crowd in the square panicked, screams rending the air and people running as quickly as they could. It was chaos and the only reason I was able to keep an eye on Sora was because one: I had seen him before everything went to shit and two: he was wearing bright red. It was but a matter of moments for the fight to start, it certainly hadn't taken long for the square to nearly empty completely, and I felt a thrum of warm pride and affection.

Sora had gotten better. Faster certainly, still a bit of a hack-slash method but far more fluid than it had been. More aware of his surroundings as well using the tents and poles left behind to his advantage in a way he had never done before. He was tearing through most of the Dream Eaters like a hot knife through butter. It was a bit obvious though, that he was unused to fighting without someone there to watch his back. His…Spirit companions were decent enough but they were limited in what they could do and they weren't like the others. Donald was a long range fighter, powerful in his own right but kept to the edges of the fights as much as possible. Goofy was close range with a powerful defense. Sora brought in speed and versatility to the group. The three of them had worked out a style of fighting that had worked for them, covering for each other's weakness with a near scary efficiency. Twilight and I had managed to work ourselves in but that was mostly because we were competent and could look after ourselves, it was a rarity that the boys had had to bail us out of a situation. Twilight had taken the role of a Red Mage, giving everyone a healthy dose of support magic with a decent offense. I, being more aggressive in personality when it came to fighting, could effectively be considered an Arcane Warrior, more offense and nearly no support magic.

I leaned forward, eyes focused on the Rhino-like creature charging Sora from behind as he dispatched one of the bats. I charged up a Fira spell, sparks dancing along my fingers, before launching it. The ball of fire engulfing the creature and Sora whirled around only to watch his opponent go up in smoke. "You'd think all those lectures about watching your back would have sunk in Sora." The brunette jumped and spun around, his head snapping around with enough speed that I was surprised he hadn't given himself whiplash. His eyes landed on me as I jumped off the roof and landed on the ground before him in a low crouch. He stared at me in disbelief even as I straightened up and waved a small salute in his direction. "Yo." Bright blue eyes widened in absolute joy and I barely had time to brace myself before Sora had launched himself at me, grunting as his arms wrapped around me in a rib-crushing hug.

"GHOST!" I laughed and returned the hug, I had missed his enthusiasm. He let me go, grinning so hard I could practically hear the muscles protesting, and I reached up and ruffled his hair, warm affection in my eyes. The boy's eyes brightening at the familiar gesture.

"I take it you missed me, huh?" If I had thought his smile couldn't get any wider I was soon proven wrong.

"It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?!"

"I did make a promise didn't I? Yen Sid told me you managed to get yourself into trouble, so here I am to make sure you don't get yourself killed. Who are you're friends?" Sora pouted for a moment before grinning again.

"I don't really think I'm in any trouble but I'm still glad you're here. This is Meow Wow and this is Pricklemane. What about Twilight?"

"Yen Sid hadn't contacted her when I was with him but he said he was sending her off to find Riku, so he won't be on his own either. As for the not being in trouble bit…" I poked him lightly in the forehead, "…Ursula breaking into your test and leaving a connecting trail means you're in trouble. Yen Sid gave me pretty specific instructions to not interfere with your test and work crowd control." I had a feeling I wouldn't be following those particular instructions but would be falling back into old habits of when I had travelled with Sora. The boy nodded in understanding and got back to work, even if the small smile that was sketched across his face was at odds to the situation.

"Do you think that Quasi…what's-his-face is alright?" My lips twitched; oh I had definitely rubbed off on the boy.

"It's Quasimodo and he made it into the Cathedral just fine."

"Cathedral?" I glanced down at Sora, I didn't really have to look down much anymore as he was only a couple of inches shorter than me now. I guess they wouldn't have Catholicism on Destiny Islands.

"It's a Church, a place of worship for those that follow Catholicism. Cathedrals are what the really big ones are called because they're the ones that house the Bishops. They're some of the higher ups in Catholicism." Sora put his hands behind his head lazily as he peered up at the impressive building.

"You sure know a lot Ghost, have you been here before?" A thoughtful hum rumbled in the back of my throat as we circled the square picking up the chests that were hidden there and gathering any useful supplies.

"No, I've never been to Paris before but…how to explain this? You remember how Traverse Town was split in two?" At his nod I continued, "Think of my World and this one being split in two as well except there is no crossing over or acknowledgement. On top of that this would be in the past. This Paris existed in the time of…fourteen hundred and something. So for me, coming from a place in the two thousands, this Paris is smaller and missing a lot of familiar landmarks."

"So a version of your home would exist in this world?" I huffed a quiet laugh.

"I suppose so but considering the timeframe, the city I grew up in is currently nothing more than a swamp." Sora's mouth formed an 'o', a flicker of sadness passing in his eyes he had been wanting to see what my home was like, and seeing as we were back at the starting point we headed into the Cathedral itself, the boy pushing the large door open and stepping inside. His Keyblade formed in his hands and I summoned my sword even before stepping in, as that was a sure sign that there were enemies. My sword, like the cuff, had changed. It was heavier, thicker, and it was certainly darker than before. The hilt was the still the same utilitarian style but instead of a white, which had been stained with sweat and blood, was now a dark grey. It was more of a classic long sword. Shorter than my last blade but I had always been adaptable. So with a grin I plunged after my pseudo-brother into battle, the two of us falling into a familiar pattern while Sora's spirits danced around us. Cats seemed to dominate the front entrance and it was when we got further into the Cathedral that the multi-colored Rhinos showed up again. Sora split right and I hit the left flank slamming a thunder spell into the middle so that the enemies weren't clustered together. The Rhinos were tough but slow moving, the real concern were the bats that kept popping up. I stumbled slightly as one of their attacks slammed into my side but I finished the sweep that cut down the last of the Rhinos, Sora chasing after the bat that had hit me. I moved onto the deer. Sora was fast, I would leave him to the bats and cats that had popped up. I twisted out of the way of an attack and thrust my blade into the flank of the deer-like Dream Eater that quickly vanished.

I scanned the area for my next opponent but spotting no other threats I straightened up and my blade reformed into the cuff once again. I shook out my shoulder as I walked over to where Sora was looking around. It would take a bit of time to get used to the change in weight.

"Think they went upstairs?" I lifted a single shoulder in a half shrug.

"Most likely." I eyed the stairs critically no railing and they were fairly steep, stairs not for the faint of heart. Good thing no one was like that here. "Shall we?" Sora grinned and bounded up the stairs, I followed at a more sedate pace shaking my head in amusement.

It wasn't long before we entered the bell tower, the place even with as dark as it was, wasn't as musty as I thought it would have been. So while Sora was freaking out about talking gargoyles, which were rather weird though I was more concerned about where their legs were, I was gawking at the big ass bell hanging in the middle of the room. I would have loved to known how they had made that.

Still you know you're chopped liver when the guy you helped save sweeps a girl off her feet and jumps out the window without a glance your way.

"Didn't expect that." Muttered Sora.

_'The day you start expecting people to jump out of windows at random is when you start thinking about retiring.' _

"So how come you guys are so close?" asked Sora. I was looking over the model that Quasi had made but I heard the small chorus of cheery answers.

"We've been friends for years."

"More than a decade of camaraderie."

"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"So he never leaves?" asked a confused, and still rather innocent, Sora.

"Oh, he never leaves. Judge Frollo forbids it." The rough voice was disgruntled, an edge of anger to the deceptively passive voice.

"Why?" asked Sora, the boy tilting his head in a confused manner. I turned around and leaned against the table, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Short version, Frollo thinks he's doing Quasi a favor by keeping folks from seeing that mug of his." The shorter stout male gargoyle stated.

"After watching from the nosebleed seats, Quasi just wanted to go to the Festival of Fools. And we're proud of him for finally working up the courage to do so." That would be the skinny female one or at least I thought it was female, it gave off a female vibe to me. Like a grandmother.

"It's a shame those creatures had to ruin it for him." stated the tallest one, a more aristocratic ring to his voice. Sora backed up a few steps as they started to fight amongst themselves, banter flying back and forth in a manner that indicated that this was an old argument.

"Why do you think Frollo wanted to hide Quasimodo?" asked Sora quietly. He was still watching the arguing gargoyles but the question had clearly been directed towards me. I watched him for a moment out of the corner of my eye before tilting my head back in thought.

"Frollo is something of a control freak. Big proponent for law and order but he needs to be the top dog. So everything has to conform to his standards. Quasimodo and even the Gypsies don't fit that image so he tries to hide or get rid of them." I ran a thumb along my jawline in a thoughtful motion. "If I remember this correctly than he was charged by the…Bishop…or was it the Father…hm, whoever is in charge of the Cathedral here at the time to watch over Quasimodo as it was Frollo's fault that his parents had died. I think, it's been a while." I shrugged slightly getting my thoughts back on track. "So watching over Quasi is a duty, that doesn't mean Frollo won't be a bastard about it." Sora bit his lip in thought, eyes narrowed as he stared at the ground. I reached over and ruffled his hair comfortingly. _'Be soo glad that this is the Disney version and not the actual book. Quasi was fucking creepy. Here he's at least lovable. Actually people in the book version tended to lean more to the dickish side of things. There Phoebus was one of the villains instead of a hero.' _The female gargoyle seemed to finally give up on the other two and moved to stand in front of us.

"I just hope that this doesn't cause Quasi to give up hope. He was so close."

"He can't let his heart be a prison." Muttered Sora and I practically rolled my eyes. As someone whose heart was practically a fortress, I could understand the temptation to turn it into a prison but I had friends that were willing to scale those walls. Sora though, was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He ran down the stairs back to the door and I just jumped down from the platform, beating him there. He pouted at me but called back to the three stone protectors, "Don't worry! I'll go talk to him!"

* * *

It was but the work of a few moments to get through the Cathedral and into the square where we were attacked. Again. I'm fairly certain that it was a respawn point for the Dream Eaters or they were at the very least attracted to that particular place for some reason. Either way between myself, Sora, and his Spirits the enemy was dealt with quickly. I jogged behind Sora as he raced ahead and my eyes caught on the blond that was stepping out from behind one of the tents. I slowed to a stop, keeping a careful eye on him but called out to Sora.

"Sora." The brunette spun on his heel, blue eyes latching on the perceived threat despite the rather friendly greeting.

"Hello, again. Sora, was it?" The glare that Sora gave the former Captain could have peeled paint. The lack of armor probably didn't help the blond either.

"You're that guy with Frollo!" Phoebus, not the book version but certainly the Disney version, had an easy friendly air about him as he held up his hands placatingly.

"Easy, I'm not looking for a fight." I stepped up next to Sora and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He glanced up at me and relaxed slightly.

"Seems you've been demoted, Captain." Phoebus scratched the back of his head in a sheepish motion.

"It was a bit more than just a demotion, milady, though it is good to meet reasonable people once again. It seems you have me at a disadvantage though." I paused to tell the Frenchman that I had a supernatural nickname or that I had an English name. Either one could get me burned at the stake, especially in this time period. I couldn't remember if England and France was currently throwing one of their frequent wars at the moment. I heaved a mental sigh.

"Branwyn." Phoebus paused, blinked slowly, and then reached forward catching my hand and placing his lips to my knuckles in a formal greeting.

"I was not aware that England produced such lovely roses, such as yourself Lady Branwyn." My lips twitched in amusement, it was flattering but Axel would have turned him into a flambé if he had seen this. Besides even with the flattery, we both knew his heart was set on Esmeralda. Sora just looked confused.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Please, call me Phoebus. I can't be called a Captain when I've been stripped of my rank." I lifted an eyebrow questioningly as my hand dropped back to my side. His eyes darted between the two of us, not entirely sure who to address. "Tell me, is she still safe in the Cathedral?" Sora tilted his head, apparently filing away any questions he had for later.

"If by 'she' you mean Esmeralda, than Quasimodo helped her escape."

"Blast." Cursed Phoebus. It was a rather tame curse. Noting Sora's rather confused expression and my expectant one, the former Captain elaborated on what was wrong. "It's Judge Frollo. He's obsessed with destroying the Gypsies and his mind is in a dark place." He glanced over at me, the 'Englishwoman', and asked, "Do you have troubles like this in England?"

"Paris has Frollo, London has Judge Turpin." Phoebus heaved a resigned sigh and I patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.

"When I objected to his barbarous actions, he banished me from the guard." Sora's mouth dropped open in shock before he objected.

"What?! That's not fair!" I lifted a single shoulder in a half shrug.

"That's politics." Phoebus and I exchanged a wry, knowing look.

"Don't worry about me. Frollo's said he found the 'Court of Miracles'. That's the Gypsies haven within the city. Esmeralda and her friends are in danger." My eyes narrowed in thought.

"Are you absolutely certain that he's found it 'cause Frollo seems like a tricky bastard to me." I blinked and lifted an eyebrow at Phoebus' incredulous look at my language. "What? I just call it like I see it and he is."

"He seemed pretty certain about it to me." argued the blond. "We have to find it and warn them before he gets there." Sora nodded but paused when I held up a hand, the motion indicating more that I had an objection to something rather than a question.

"This could be a way for him to follow us and find the Court instead of actually knowing where it is already. Are you sure this isn't a trap of some kind?" The blond nodded.

"We'll make sure that we aren't being followed. I wouldn't risk Esmeralda's safety." Sora nodded eagerly.

"We need to warn them, we can't just let Judge Frollo hurt them because they don't fit his view of the world!" cried Sora. My lips tightened into a thin line. Something still felt off about this and I _knew_ Frollo was too much of a politician to be straight forward like that. I gave them a curt nod and they grinned in triumph running over to Quasi who had just stepped around the tents to retrieve the pendent he had dropped in shock. I stayed deep in thought, ignoring the boys behind me, and stretched my senses. On the edge of my range I could feel the bright thrum of power that was Twilight and sent a tendril of Shadow her way as a greeting, getting a bright warm, happy pulse in return. Sora and Riku could work together but they would also cover more ground if they were separate. If this was a trap Riku and Twilight might be able to run interference. I'd work out a system of communication with Twilight later. There was also a flickering of corrupted darkness that was drawing my attention. It was far closer but it faded in and out of existence almost like it knew how to hide and if it was Frollo that made sense. He had hidden behind the guise of a politician for a long time and they all had masks of some sort. I was dragged out of my thoughts as Sora clapped a hand on my back with a cheerful grin, Phoebus and Quasimodo behind him. "Let's go!"

"Phoebus, you have a weapon?" The blond nodded and stepped over to one of the tents and reached between it and the wall bulling out a long sword and attaching it to his belt. "Quasi, take to the rooftops. People tend not to look up and I want you to scout ahead for us, keep an eye out for obstacles in our path checkpoints, Dream Eaters, anything like that."

'_It'll also have the benefit of having the gentle man out of the fighting.'_ I watched as Quasimodo seemed to want to object before he understood his role. He would be watching over us and providing the information that would get us safely through the city. He nodded determinedly and climbed up to the roofs with a surprising amount of agility. I glanced over at Phoebus out of the corner of my eye. "I hope you're ready for fighting because the two of us tend to attract all sorts of trouble." Phoebus just smirked, an edge of arrogance to it that made me hope that it wouldn't get him killed.

"There's no need to worry about me, Lady Branwyn. I was a soldier before I became the Captain of the Guard." One of my eyebrows swept up towards my hairline.

"You have combat experience?" Phoebus swept a gallant bow.

"Indeed I do."

"Can we go already?" interrupted an impatient Sora, the teen bouncing on his toes with his inexhaustible energy. The two older members of the group, Phoebus was at least a decade and a half over me, shared an amused look and followed after Sora as he ran ahead. I would have to cut down on the magic, which meant no summoning of my sword unless in an emergency. No point in starting a riot for a supposed witch in the middle of the city. I could only hope that no one would really take notice of the fact that Sora was swinging around a giant key that would seemingly come and go.

We were moving steadily through the town when Quasi signaled that there was a problem up ahead. The Dream Eaters that were popping up around us, the giant weeds that had grown in the middle of the street, and the vines that covered certain areas made the signal a bit…redundant. A quick flick of my wrists and the blades hidden up my sleeved fell into my hands. "Sora, take out those bats. Captain, you and I get the big one." Sora nodded and took off, his Spirit companions following. I didn't wait for Phoebus to protest as I charged off, shifting down slightly to dodge an attack my focus on the big one that was rapidly retreating. I wasn't sure what the hell it was supposed to be, it seemed vaguely flower…ish. Either way, Phoebus was taking the role of the heavy while, with my duel blades, I could strike a lot faster. I twisted out of the way as it charged me, straight into Phoebus' waiting blow, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike from behind. One blade plunged into the creature's back, granting enough leverage for the other to reach the creature's head. As it faded from existence I lashed out with the blade in my right hand, clipping the wing of a bat that managed to barely dodge a fatal blow. Phoebus was holding his own well enough, even if he was out of his depth.

"These things are never ending!" exclaimed the former Guard.

"Whatever, Apollo. Keep moving and eventually we'll draw out another big one. Beat enough of those and the little ones'll stay away for a while." I grunted as something slammed into my back and I rolled to my feet, cursing under my breath when I spotted what had attacked me. "Sora! Land-fish!"

"Right!" He jumped and slammed the Keyblade into the ground, letting loose a wave of energy that destroyed the thing. He pulled the Keyblade out of the ground and yelled, "We need to move to another section!" I nodded. Both Phoebus and I followed the boy as he raced off down a side street, Quasi waving an arm indicating whish direction we needed to go next.

It was a pain in the ass but eventually we killed two more of the big flower things and the thorns were cleared from the places we needed to go. Finally, we had a breather. "Lady Branwyn, are you alright?" I blinked at Phoebus' obvious concern. There was no blood; at most I would have bruises but certainly nothing critical.

"I'm fine. Couple of bruises, no big deal." I reassured him with a small smile and got a pensive nod in return.

"I must say you're quite the scrapper." I gave an easy shrug, a crooked grin adorning my lips.

"This isn't exactly my first fight. You did well yourself. You said you had previous combat experience?" The former Captain nodded as we walked Sora leading the way across the bridge to the other side of the city.

"I fought in the Burgundian Wars."

"It's still a bit different fighting Dream Eaters." I huffed quiet laugh, "You did good, keep up like you have been and you'll make it through this just fine. Most people freak out the first time they have to fight something like this." Sora glanced over his shoulder and grinned.

"You should have seen the way Donald reacted to Shadows the first time, it was funny." I smirked in amusement.

"It probably wasn't funny at the time but that's hindsight for you." Quasi had come down from the roofs and joined us on the streets. The buildings were getting too sparse so he couldn't roof hop all that easily anymore. The deformed man took the lead, seeing as he was the one with the map. "Their hideout is in a cemetery?" I blinked a couple of times before shrugging. "Well I've seen stranger things before."

"They still should not desecrate the dead." murmured Phoebus, a frown of disproval gracing his face. The seemingly open grave that we jumped into led into the storm drains, if it had been a sewer I was going to shadow my way to the center, screw the boys they could manage on their own for a little while.

* * *

It turns out the Court of Miracles was through the foggy canyon, past the river of poison, and through the tunnel of creeps. I knew France had tunnels with skulls in them, I just hadn't planned on walking through them; which is exactly what we did, with my luck I have no idea why I was even surprised by this development. The Court itself, despite being underground, was a bright and cheery place made so by the brightly colored banners and the many torches that were scattered throughout the cavern. Esmeralda was standing near the center and while Phoebus and Quasimodo ran towards her, already rapidly explaining the situation, Sora was running about looting the smattering of chests. This also led to some impressive displays of acrobatics on the boy's part which left the Gypsy woman gawping at him for a moment before she snapped her jaw shut and proceeded to ignore him turning her full attention on the blond. Sora had just rejoined the group when Frollo made his appearance.

"Well done, Captain Phoebus. Thankfully you are as predictable as I hoped you to be." Stated the Judge as he strolled up to us, safe in the knowledge that the Nightmares he had summoned would be enough to slow us down. Phoebus growled and glared at his former employer who headed straight towards Quasimodo.

"I know I shouldn't say this but this is entirely an 'I told you so' moment." I muttered. Sora grimaced and shot me an apologetic look, knowing that I had warned the group of this exact situation.

"Dear Quasimodo, I always knew you would someday be of use to me." Quasimodo slumped and watched as Frollo walked past him to stand before a defiant Esmeralda. "I finally have you, witch." The man loomed and then creeped and I was tempted to light his hat on fire. "There will be a bonfire in the square tonight, I think." I jumped out of the way of an attack as Frollo dragged Esmeralda away. I wasn't entirely sure what happened next but Sora was on the ground out cold and in my distraction over him I had to take an attack that slammed me into a wall, blood running down my face and my vision going blurry. Frollo glanced back at all of us ordering, "Bring them." I growled quietly and glared at the Nightmare that was headed my way. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a barrier, set up by the Keyblade or by Sora I wasn't sure, repel the Nightmare that attempted to lift the boy. The glare faded, leaving me composed as the Nightmare came within a foot of me and I sank into the ground, fading into the shadows that pooled there. Safe and out of reach. Shadows were patient; they could wait for as long as they needed to.

The passage of time in the shadows is difficult to tell but I could hear Sora yelling, calling for me and the others. I stumbled out of the shadows, using the wall to support my weight. The blow to the head was worse than I had anticipated and quickly downed a potion. It didn't do anything for the blood that was already matting my hair and staining my face but it cleared the fog, closed the cut, and stopped the pain. I shook my head one more time to get acclimated before calling, "Sora!" The brunette spun around eyes wide with worry and he sprinted towards me, speeding up further when he spotted the blood.

"Ghost!" I waved off his concern.

"I'm alright, took a potion for it already." Sora nodded reluctantly.

"We need to hurry." stated Sora, his eyes gone hard in a way that they normally didn't unless someone else was in danger. Place him in danger and he could take everything in good humor, place someone under his protection in danger and you suddenly got a warrior that knew very little mercy. So I nodded and followed him at a full blown sprint out of the cavern, in the tunnels where the darkness ruled I flexed my power and sped up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It wasn't a portal that I dragged him into, those were inefficient to travel a small distance, but it was far faster. People who saw us only spotted a dark blob along the ground or on the walls moving at a speed that beat a horse or if they had been modern a car, by a good margin.

The fire was already burning; I could feel the ever changing movements in the shadows as I stepped out of shadows on the edge of the square, dragging a slightly disoriented Sora out after me. I caught his arm so that he wouldn't fall on his face, eyes scanning the area for enemies and potential threats. Esmeralda, already passed out from the smoke, was easy enough to spot up on the platform and I shoved Sora in her direction, taking off to circle around to the other side. I had no idea where Phoebus was at the moment but Quasi was swinging down the Cathedral to make his big rescue. I was on the other side of the platform, my back facing Notre Dame when the giant Nightmare flattened the platform, my sword appearing in my hand before a conscious thought passed my mind. I slammed into the creature's back; sword biting into flesh, as Sora dodged the attack directed at him his Spirits running to his assistance. The thing was clumsy on the ground, an attack from Sora knocking the thing flat on its back. The two of us skipped back as a crest formed beneath it and fire exploded upwards lifting it to its feet. It charged me and I barely managed to dodge the punch to the ground and ducked as it lunged at my head, flying over me but I had to block the tail letting it knock me out of the way for a moment so I could start casting spells.

It seemed like it liked to play with fire and while fire was one of my strongest spell branches, ice was just as powerful. Between Sora, running interference, I kept up a steady stream of spells until once again the crest appeared. Taking the precious few seconds that the opportunity presented, Sora replenished his strength and healed the few bruises and minor burns he had received, while I slugged down an ether potion to replenish my magic my eyes still locked on the prone form of the enemy. The fire I was expecting didn't disappoint but both Sora and I had to dodge the fire that the thing started throwing around like it was going out of style. I patted out the tips of my hair that had been singed and switched directions rapidly as the creature launched its hands at the two of us. I slapped up a barrier, wincing at the heat from the fire, and saw Sora charge out of the corner of my eye. As soon as the attention had been turned off of me I stepped in closer, inside of the thing's guard, and my sword bit deep into its leg slowing it down at least a little.

The battle that seemed to take hours, took only minutes in reality but it was enough time for Frollo to make his way to the top of the Cathedral, Sora to run inside, and me to watch as Frollo plummeted to the ground. I winced and averted my eyes from the broken body, glad that Sora wasn't there to see it, and had the shadows take it away. If someone wanted to claim the body they could ask me before I left but I doubted anyone would. I looked to the top of Notre Dame, squinting up towards the top, making sure that no one else would be taking a failed leap of faith anytime soon before heading in to at the very least get out of the smoke. Stepping into the Cathedral was different this time around; the fires burning outside brightened the place. Sora returned to my side after he made sure that the others were alright asking, "Are you okay?" I hummed tiredly, I hadn't really had a chance to sit since I had left Yen Sid's and that was clocking in at about sixteen hours already. It had been a while since I had had to pull a day like this.

"I'm alright, a bit tired is all." I rolled my neck, shoulders cracking as I looked Sora over. He was generally in good shape, bruised and covered in ash but not seriously hurt. I glanced back towards the door with a frown, "It's going to be a long night." I turned back to Sora, "Still know those ice spells?" He nodded a slightly confused tilt to his brow. "Good. Let's go see what we can do about this fire."

It was nearing dawn by the time we made it back to the Cathedral and Sora stumbled to a corner and practically collapsed on one of the pews. I smiled tiredly at the boy, shrugging off my jacket and used it as a pillow claiming a different pew nearby as my own absent mindedly waving a cleaning spell that I had bugged out of Merlin. Sleep was fast to lay its claim on me.

* * *

I awoke not to an alarm or any threat, even if my first instinct was to summon my blade to hand, but the general feeling of annoyance, an itch in the back of my mind. A sense of something on the edge of my perception but it was a form I knew well. Twilight was nearby, outside by the feel of it and more importantly alone. Riku was not with her for a brief time. So I headed out grabbing my jacket, folding it over an arm, as my sword faded back into the dark and headed outside. She was sitting on the steps of the Cathedral, looking about the burned ruins that had once been Paris. It was an ugly and wonderful sight. Paris would rebuild, as it always did when struck by disaster. The French were a resilient people, though some would call them pig-headed. Twilight…Cydney, my comrade in arms, my sister, my best friend; I had not seen her since we had departed all those months ago and letters were simply not the same as seeing one another everyday if only to be in a familiar presence. The blonde's hair was a little longer sweeping her shoulders and she had filled out a bit, no longer a stick but a healthy weight with muscles defined. Her shirt was a dark teal with white swirling design, the loose sleeves stopping at the elbows giving her free range of movement. Her pants were a slate grey and made of a heavier material that would work well in combat or serious travel. I smiled and shook out my jacket with a sharp snap, her head whipping about, as I debated if I should actually put it on or not. Dark blue grey eyes met cerulean and Twilight grinned scrambling to her feet. The two of us met in the middle and, in my glee, I lifted the girl off her feet in a hug that startled a bright peel of laughter out of her. I set her back on the ground, a wide grin splitting my face, "Damn, it's good to see you again!" I huffed a laugh at the rapid fire babble that Twilight was spewing at me and while I caught the general gist of things, it was simple to fall back into the easy camaraderie of before skimming most of what she said and extracting the important bits out of it. The important bits were Demyx was fine (looking after the pet shop the two had opened in Twilight Town), business was going well, she had kept up with training, and she had yelled at Yen Sid for taking so long to contact her once the exam had gone to shit. Apparently travelling with Riku was an experience as she was always having to reassure the teen that he was fine and the self-deprecation that he continually heaped on himself was really not all that necessary. "So, you got any idea of what's going on?"

"Not a clue." Twilight sighed, hands propped up on her waist as she shook her head. "We're going into this one blind. I don't really like this. I mean both Sora and Riku taking the test." My lips tightened into a frown.

"Makes you wonder who the main character for this one really is." Noting Twilight's rather glum mood I grinned encouragingly, sweeping a hand at the town, "Hey, at least you got to see your favorite." Her grin returned and she nodded.

"True. This is one place I had been hoping they would put in the games." She flashed a smirk in my direction, "Even if you don't like Frollo." I shrugged.

"What can I say? Setting fire to your own city because you can't keep it in your pants seems counter-productive to me. Then again, I'm sort of glad I didn't really have to interact with him much. Could you imagine what would happen if he found out I was part English, on top of having an English name? With his dismal ability to control a fire, there wouldn't be a Paris left _to_ rebuild." Twilight laughed at that. It was true the French and the English never did get along and my small French qualification didn't even exist yet. Telling him that I was also part French-Canadian wouldn't help in the least…I doubted it would help me in my World's France either, seeing as I didn't know how to speak French at all. I huffed a small laugh and glanced side-long at my partner in crime, it was good to have her back even if it was only for a little while. I wasn't entirely sure why but I had a feeling that we weren't supposed to allow Sora and Riku to interact much, if at all.

"You need any supplies? I have some extra." I frowned, mentally going over my inventory. It was a good suggestion and one to take advantage of before we separated and went to the next world now that we had rested.

"I'll trade you an ether for a couple of potions if you've got 'em." Twilight nodded and we continued on like this, talking in quiet voices and occasionally swapping vials of things that we didn't need but the other did. It was the work of a few minutes to place connecting hammer-spaces in which we could place extra supplies for either one of us to use if we ever ran out in our personal supplies. It would also be a good way to pass information. We spent the next hour though, sitting on the steps of the Cathedral basking in the sun and the knowledge that there was very little time to commiserate over the past six months apart and that we would soon be going our separate ways again. The sun rose to a high point in the sky and we both knew that out charges would be getting up soon. Riku had taken refuge in an abandoned house nearby so that was where Twilight was headed. The short reunion had been quieter than I had suspected but there was still a line of exhaustion in Twilight's shoulder's that I knew mirrored my own, so maybe it hadn't been that much of a surprise. So with another bone crushing hug the two of us, reluctantly, split apart and headed back to our boys. Knowing both of our charges they would probably get into some sort of trouble without us there to keep an eye on them. I glanced back one more time before I headed into the Cathedral, watching as Twilight straightened her form shaking out the exhaustion and moved forward. A small soft smile formed on my lips, she was doing well. There had been a time I was worried about her, her letters having taken a depressing mood when she had been hit with a bout of homesickness.

I pushed open the door and stepped into the hall of the Cathedral, eyes automatically searching for Sora. He was still on the pew I had left him on but he was sitting up stretching his arms overhead with a yawn. I yawned in response myself, hand covering my mouth and momentarily wishing for coffee before I rolled my shoulders and stepped up to the boy. Bright blue eyes peered up at me and I smiled at Sora, reaching over and ruffling his hair. He grinned in response.

"Hey, Ghost. Can I ask you something?" asked Sora. I hummed, waiting for his question. "You've been acting kind of odd here? Why introduce yourself as Branwyn? What're the English?" I sat down next to him, settling myself to answer his questions they were fairly simple ones.

"This is a superstitious time period. Magic and Ghosts aren't looked on well, generally burned at the stake…ok you can't burn a Ghost at the stake but I can and I'd prefer not to. Giving my name was a risk in and of itself, it's an English-Welsh name. France, which is this country, and England, a country across the Channel, have never really gotten along they tend to go to war a lot."

"England?" I smirked slightly at his confusion. The World's that he generally went to were limited in scope and he never really had to deal with the internal politics or the places outside of the main problem.

"This World is a lot larger than just Paris. Paris is just one city in a much larger World but it was the epicenter for the moment, so you don't have to worry about the other portions." Sora nodded thoughtfully.

"It's good to have you back, Ghost." Sora fidgeted a slightly and I just waited, we didn't have to hurry so I let him take his time. "I missed you." I smiled and slung an arm around his shoulders in a hug, squeezing him into my side before letting him go.

"I missed you too, little brother."

* * *

It was close to high noon when Phoebus and Esmeralda left hand in hand, the protectors of the Cathedral joining us as we watched them go. Sora, attempting to keep his promise, walked up to Quasimodo saying, "You can't let your heart be a…"

"I know." Quasi cut him off and I leaned up against a nearby pillar watching the on goings. "I can't blame Frollo for putting up walls around me."

_"Sure you can, he basically brainwashed you your entire life. He can take plenty of blame.' _

"It wasn't the walls that were holding me back." Continued Quasimodo, never knowing about the grumbling I was doing in my mind. "But my heart is free now. I'm ready to see what's out there." We watched as Quasi left and Sora turned to face the statue by the alter. The teen was silent for a time, clearly thinking about something and I wasn't entirely certain he was actually seeing the statue in front of him.

"All that time…" I tilted my head curious about what he had to say. I could tell from his tone that this was one of those times that he was going to say something at least a bit profound. "Quasimodo allowed himself to be trapped by the nightmares that Frollo gave him." Or he could sum up the situation in a single sentence. Well at least he understood what had been going on. My head snapped around to face the door, tensing as I sensed the darkness coalescing and a portal forming my sword formed in my hand. I heard a voice that sounded familiar and a face that had become far too familiar headed our way. A young man, tan with silver hair, dressed in the clothes of Organization XIII was headed our way. My eyes widened in shock and I ground my teeth together, preparing myself for a fight.

"Hypocrite. You are the one that has made your heart a prison." Sora gasped and crouched into a fighting stance.

"You again! What do you want?!" I sucked in a breath as the darkness presented me with a vision, an unmasked Ventus floating over the young Xemnas's shoulder.

"Even if you are not the prisoner." I wasn't sure if Sora could see Ventus but the blue eyed boy seemed confused as the teenaged Xemnas turned and headed my way, his eyes narrowing but he didn't say anything more as he stepped into a portal and left. I glared at the place the portal had been before glancing over at Sora who was staring at the ground.

"Well that was cryptic…" Sora looked up at me, worry and confusion clear on his face. "Ignore him for now Sora, he was probably just trying to mess with you."

"Yeah." muttered the normally exuberant boy. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, ducking my head so that I could look him in the eye.

"I am no prisoner Sora, I choose to be with you. I _choose_ to stay. Your heart can't be a prison if the people who care about you choose to remain." Sora brightened and nodded both of us turning to the sound of the keyhole appearing in the circle of stained glass at the front of the Cathedral. As the keyhole vanished in a beam of light I could tell that Sora was still worried but I couldn't reassure him anymore than I had. I mentally made a note to tear out that young Xemnas's spine out through his nostrils. "I assume you have a way to get to wherever you need to go." Sora nodded.

"The Worlds are providing the paths." I sighed, nodding to myself. Looks like I would have to follow in the same way that I did to get here. I placed a hand on his shoulder, firming the shadow I had placed on him and making it so that my spot wouldn't be able to fade.

"Alright. You get going, I'll be right behind you." I assured Sora with a small smile and stepped back so that the light could envelope the young man. When it finally faded I was alone in the Cathedral. I was about to follow when I twitched, a flare of panic thrumming through me when I felt something occur with the spot I had on Axel. It felt weird, like it was ending and resetting itself continuously, as if it was confused about the person it had been attached to. I grunted as it finally snapped back in place, its hold solidifying on the fire elemental. _'What the hell was that?'_ I pressed a hand to my forehead, gritting my teeth at the pain of a migraine that was currently assaulting my senses. The feedback I was getting from that spot was…fuzzy. Stable but fuzzy as if there was interference from something or other, I wasn't sure what though. My lips tightened into a frown and I shook my head, stuffing the worry to the back of my mind. Axel was fine, he had to be. I waited for just another minute before focusing on the tendril of power that connected me to Axel. Well he wasn't hurt, the only thing I could tell was that he was confused. I would have to figure out why he felt muted at some other time. I relaxed and let out a sigh. Axel was fine, I wasn't sure what had happened to him but I had a feeling I would find out sooner or later.

"Ah, Lady Branwyn good you haven't left yet." I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at the blonde Captain. He would be regaining his position soon enough. Turning around, I shrugged easily.

"I was about to leave actually." Phoebus placed a hand over his heart and bowed.

"I must thank you for the help." I huffed a laugh as he straightened up and waved off his thanks.

"It's not a problem." I watched as Phoebus glanced around, obviously looking for something or perhaps someone would be a better descriptor.

"Sora?"

"He already went ahead. There are other places that needs his help or to root out trouble." Phoebus nodded slowly, his lips quirked into an amused smirk. "Hopefully I'll see you around, if not have a good life Phoebus." I slipped into the darkness following Sora to the next world, leaving a dumbfounded Captain behind.


End file.
